Now compare the N&R’s fluff piece on Skybus with this story in —-I can’t believe I’m saying this —- the High Point Enterprise.
The Enterprise took a look at the minutes from the Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority’s closed session and discovered that airport leaders had their doubts about Skybus:
Authority Chairman Henry Isaacson indicated during the September closed session that the Skybus operation “would transform this airport and could result in a doubling of enplanements (boardings) at this airport in the next two to three years.”
But the closed session minutes also indicates some hedging by airport officials over what would happen if the 3-year-old airline didn’t succeed. Brock told the authority Oct. 17 that “Skybus has a reasonable business plan, although there are no assurances in the airline industry …”
Isaacson said during the July closed session that any expansion of PTIA for Skybus “would have to be usable by the other airlines in case Skybus were to fail.”
What a concept: Taking a closer look at an economic incentives deal instead of just leading the cheers. I realize I’m critical of the Enterprise because it looks as though they’ve just given up under the corporate thumb of Paxton Media. I’m glad to see Paul Johnson, whom I know from my days under the Enterprise umbrella, still exercising his reporting skills.
Now let’s hope Skybus makes it.
